Shirley Temple Mini Cupcakes

Hola friends! 🙂 A few weeks ago I came across Shirley Temple cupcakes from The Curvy Carrot and I knew I haaaaad to make them! I decided to go the mini route, just because they’re so cute, especially with a little cherry on top, but either way-they’ll be a big hit!

Seriously, tell me these aren’t the cutest things you’ve ever seen!? They totally look like a shirley temple. And honestly, who doesn’t love a shirley temple!? They’re so fun and cute and oh yeah. Did I say fun? They remind me of being a little girl and being able to order something “fancy” at a restaurant.

Just a few notes…

Don’t be afraid of the marischino cherry juice and/or the red food coloring… I used a few drops and the bottom layer still turned out a little bit lighter than I was anticipating.

I cut down the almond extract in the buttercream to 1/8 teaspoon, because while it was still delicious, the almond flavor was a little bit more intense than I wanted it to be. (oddly enough, the almond flavor sort of tastes like cherries)

I drained my cherries on a paper towel and very *gently* squeezed out some of the excess juice so that they didn’t mess up the pretty frosting.

Please don’t skip out on the Cherry 7-Up, I think it adds great flavor and it’s just sort of fun!

I made these the night before I needed them and they kept well a sealed container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

In a standing bowl mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy at least 2-3 minutes.

With the mixer on low, add the pinch of salt, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and lemon juice and mix until combined.

Whip the buttercream until smooth and add the maraschino cherry juice to the buttercream and mix until combined. The maraschino cherry juice gives it a nice subtle flavor and the prettiest light pink color.

Pipe with a star tip and garnish each cupcake with a cherry.

I decided to make a few that were all pink batter, just for funsies… I didn’t like them as much as the 2 toned cupcakes, but they still tasted great 🙂 If you’re short on time, or you don’t have red food coloring in your kitchen, you can skip that step all together (but, it was my favorite part of this recipe).

Ps. The original source for this recipe is a gluten-free version if you’re interested, check it out!

Just tried these! Couldn’t find Cherry 7-Up anywhere in this goshforsaken little town so we ended up just adding cherry juice to regular 7-up so it tasted like cherry 7-up. The cupcakes came out totally soft and fluffy. The only complaint we had was that it didn’t taste enough like cherry. One tiny little question, though. Where does the vanilla and almond extract come into the recipe? I added it to the base mixture but I could have been wrong. :/

Hi Jeni! Sorry about that… I just fixed the post, so that it includes the vanilla & almond extract but what you did was totally the right way! I know what you mean about the cherry taste, I think it was a little bit more subtle… I think the next time I make them I’ll add more maraschino cherry juice to the batter, but like I said in the post, I think the almond extract is actually supposed to mimic the flavor of the maraschino cherries 🙂 I hope you liked them & thank so much for stopping by! xo-Jenn

Wow these look absolutely amazing! I ended up buying way too many cherries for my Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes so I think I may just have to give these a try soon!!! Shirley Temples were my absolute favorite when I was a kid…=)